Mansfield Village scheduled to get a facelift in 2015

March 30, 2014

MANSFIELD - The Mansfield Village apartments, a fixture on Orebed Road for more than 30 years, is getting a facelift starting next year, if funding can be obtained by the new owners, Conifer Realty LLC, of Rochester, N.Y.

Brian Donato, project director with Conifer, said the $7.3 million project will be paid for partly with a tax credit from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, combined with a mortgage from a state agency or private lender.

"We are looking for a tax credit allocation. Basically, for every dollar of allocation we can leverage a certain amount of money from a private investor, so the total we can expect is $4 million and the mortgage will be $3.7 million from a private lender or the state agency, wherever we can get the best terms," he said

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CHERYL R. CLARKE/Sun-GazetteMansfield Village Apartments will undergo a “facelift” inside and out starting next year, if funding can be secured for the project.

"The Village" as it is known by locals, is a 51-unit, low-income complex that is about 32 years old.

It was purchased by Conifer in August, Donato said.

About 150 people live there in an assortment of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, Donato said.

Following the renovation, which will include some exterior and parking lot work, The Village will be renamed Tioga View Apartments, he added.

Because the footprint of the complex will not change, the only necessary permit is a building permit, which Donato said he would seek from the borough once funding is secured, hopefully in June.

Then work will begin sometime after the New Year in 2015.

Conifer was scheduled to present its project to borough council at its March 12 meeting but had to cancel due to a winter storm that dropped several inches of snow in Rochester, he said.

Work will include total renovation of the kitchens, with all new appliances, flooring, cabinets and paint; total bathroom renovations with new fixtures, shower and tub units, new fans, vanities, lighting, flooring and paint, plus new carpeting and paint throughout.

The work will not put anyone out of their apartments for more than a day at a time, and residents only will need to vacate during the day for about a week per unit, he said.

Roofs, windows, furnaces and driveways also will be replaced and redone, resolving existing drainage problems on site, he added.

"It is a comprehensive scope of work," he said. "We want to make it so the property can be successful for another 30 years, for residents and for us."

Rents are based on Tioga County's median income and will not rise because of the renovation, Donato said.

"Income standards to live there can go from zero percent up to 60 percent of median income, adjusted to the number of people who live there," he added.

Borough council approved a letter of support for the project during its meeting.

Mayor Tom Wierbowski also declared a 90-day proclamation that, starting May 2, there will be no parking on the south side of East Wellsboro Street from Hoard Street to St. James Street on Fridays, during the Grower's Market.